WALVIS BAY - A rare Namibian diamond will soon be showcased around the world to bring further prominence to the country’s diamonds. 

The 15.06 carats diamond, dubbed the Eumbo Star, was unveiled on Thursday evening at Long Beach. It is worth N$26 million. The diamond is named after the Namdia building which holds significance as many Namibians found refuge in the building pre-independence.

Namdia board chairperson Bryan Eiseb said the unveiling is historic for them as they entered into a joint venture agreement with Samir Gems to bring the exceptionally sized rough diamond into the mainstream market.

According to him, Samir Gems was responsible for cutting and polishing the diamond by using the finest technology and skills.

“Once polished, the round brilliant cut diamond was graded by the world’s foremost

authority on diamonds, the Gemological Institute of America, and certification indicates the diamond’s origin, giving great provenance to Namibia and Namdia,” Eiseb explained.

He added that the goal is to position the diamond into direct channels to private clients.

“The Eumbo Star is valuated at US$1.5 million, or roughly N$26 million, highlighting a price appreciation of 59% from rough to polish and reinforcing the undeniable importance of value addition and benefaction,” he said.

Devang Bhansali from Samir Gems who also attended the unveiling said that they have been purchasing diamonds from Namdia since 2018. He said Namdia is their supplier of choice, as Namibia is known as a country with ethical and responsible diamond mining.

“We pride ourselves to be one of Namdia’s clients of choice and have bought every parcel of diamonds offered to us,’’ Bhansali said.

According to him, they were offered the diamond in rough shape and after polishing it, the outcome was a 15.06 carat polished with perfect symmetry and cut. The diamond he said has the highest clarity rating of flawless and highest colour D-grading.

Erongo governor Neville Andre who also graced the unveiling noted that Namdia’s contribution to the country’s prosperity has not gone unnoticed.

“We have seen through your relentless commitment to your impact programmes. You have produced impressive results in a very short lifespan. It is testament that anything is possible through commitment and dedication,” Andre said.